Unguarded in Jefferson Parish: An editorial

It is unclear whether an internal auditor in Jefferson Parish would have prevented the conflicts of interest and insider deals that imploded the administration of former Parish President Aaron Broussard and spurred a criminal investigation.

The Times-Picayune archiveJefferson Parish needs safeguards to prevent another scandal like the one involving former chief administrator Tim Whitmer.But as Parish Council members say now, having an accountability mechanism surely could not have hurt.

The Broussard administration got rid of the parish auditor in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, explaining the move as a cost-saving measure at a time when revenues were uncertain.

All that raises questions about the timing and the motives of the Broussard administration's decision to eliminate the internal auditor. The proximity of that decision and the founding of Mr. Whitmer's private firm may be entirely coincidental, but the timing adds to the skepticism residents have toward parish government.

Now several council members want to restore the auditor's functions as they consider measures, including possibly establishing a parish inspector general's office, to make government more transparent and prevent another scandal in the future. Restoring those watchdog functions would be a move in the right direction.

The same can be said of the council's decision to launch a review of a landfill deal the parish negotiated with a contractor that had private business with Lagniappe Industries. Mr. Whitmer supervised the process to negotiate the $6.4-million-per-year contract with River Birch Inc., and federal investigators are already looking into how the contract was awarded. But council members said they want to also ensure the deal will actually save taxpayers money, as Mr. Whitmer and Mr. Broussard promised, and that should be the parish's goal. River Birch owner Fred Heebe said he welcomed the council review.

At the same time, interim parish president Steve Theriot has moved to cancel and rebid contracts with three contractors that had private business with Mr. Whitmer.

These are steps that should help restore the public's confidence, as long as parish officials continue to move aggressively in that direction.